Apple Watch 2 manufacture begins, hints Digitimes

Apple will ship the next generation Apple Watch 2 this fall, claims Digitimes.

“Although the second-generation Apple Watch is estimated to be unveiled in September or October,” the report claims, “related supply chain is seeing rather conservative orders for the device.”

Now I’m not entirely convinced by this report (I’ve been burned more often than proven right on a Digitimes claim) but the fact this claim comes as Apple reports its Q3 results fills me with a certain sense of wonder. It could be true.

What the report also confirms is weakness in the tablet market — which isn’t especially surprising given we’ve been hearing of weakness in that market for bare time at this point.

Why has Apple not sold more units? The report claims:

“A lack of applications and short battery life have prevented smartwatches from becoming a mainstream product. The smartwatch market, expected to stay small, is unlikely to become a growth driver for component makers as originally expected.”

I think they’re wrong there and predict a big spike in sales just as soon as Apple does put a SiM inside the watch.

Best evidence for this? All watchOS apps submitted from June 1 this year must be native apps built with the watchOS 2 SDK or later. This will make apps far more responsive on Apple Watch, which itself suggests a processor improvement to handle the work.

Improved battery life

Battery life could climb up to 300 percent. Some users will get up to a week’s use between each charge (Apple will claim less)

Apple’s plan to transform the world of credit cards in the image of Apple Card seems to have progressed further than anyone might have thought, thanks to a top-secret project with Mastercard...Innovate everything The news is that Apple, Goldman Sachs and Mastercard have been quietly working together to make similar technologies available for use by […]

Dolly Parton described love as “like a butterfly,” but that isn’t precisely the emotion Mac users have reported on use of the butterfly keyboard design Apple puts inside its notebooks.When keys take wing These keyboards have attracted much criticism since they were introduced, so much so that Apple has attempted to redesign them twice and […]

Apple has never quite managed to create a social network that works, but it seems to have a better chance than ever right now.All the ingredients are there The company has all the ingredients: A platform, loyal customers, and a growing range of media services that would benefit from the kind of pester power social […]

Recent speculation claims Apple may terminate support for some older iPhone models— including the popular iPhone SE — when it introduces iOS 13.We won’t know if this is true until WWDC, but it simply reflects consumer sentiment.People are moving on The smartphone industry is declining as consumers try to get more use out of their […]

Apple’s devices are far better defended against malware and viruses than other platforms, but does that mean they don’t need anti-virus software?No, yes, and maybe I’ve lost track of the number of times Mac users have told me Macs don’t need virus protection because the machines are inherently more robust against such attacks.I’ve also lost […]

While Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn’t think a four-year degree is necessary to be a proficient coder, he’s still prepared to invest in the nurturing next-generation engineering talent. And today Apple opened up the application process for new students to join its Developer Academy in Naples, Italy.The Naples connection The Apple Developer Academy at the […]

Hackers have used a security bug inside WhatsApp to install spyware through an infected WhatsApp voice call, and Apple users are affected.What WhatsApp users need to do If you are one of the 1.5 billion people who use WhatsApp, you should immediately update both your app and your iOS software to the latest version.The app update includes […]

You can throw all the money and technology you want at digital transformation, but if your end users are uncomfortable with your brand-new solutions, they will simply stop using them.Put the customer first Those are just some of the thoughts shared with me by Sam Johnson, chief customer officer at Jamf, following that company’s move […]

Apple may dramatically reduce the number of supported older iPhone models when it introduces iOS 13, a the latest rumor claims, but it isn’t yet clear on what consistent basis this decision may (or may not) be made.Closing the stable door Apple really did the right thing when it extended backward compatibility in iOS 12, […]

Why is privacy a luxury? Possibly because surveillance capitalist firms have subsidized product prices by collecting and trading in the personal data of the people that use their products, enabling them to sell hardware cheap.The consequences of convenience The crux of Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s argument against firms such as (obviously including but never named) […]